2011 Pivot Mach 5.7 Mountain Bike – Quick Review

Will 2011 be the breakthrough year for carbon fiber? Some may say it happened already, but all the signs I’m seeing are pointing to that fact that 2011 will be HUGE for carbon. Yet even with the onslaught of carbon fiber, there are still many great bikes made out of good ‘ol aluminum and I’d say the all-new 2011 Pivot Mach 5.7 is one of those great bikes that will buck that trend in a big way.

The new Mach 5.7 is a beautiful bike that is built to go head-on with some stiff competition: Yeti 575, Ibis Mojo, Santa Cruz Blur LT, etc. The 5.7 moniker represents the amount of travel provided by this capable trail slayer and feels just about perfect on the trail.

Pivot Mach 5.7 features (official specs pending):

1/2″ more travel than the Mach 5

Slacker angles for a better all-around trailbike feel

Lower BB than the Mach 5

Tapered head tube (now standard on all Pivot bikes)

DW-Link suspension with carbon upper link

1/2 lb lighter than the Mach 5 frameset

MSRP: $1999 (frame/shock)

Pivot Mach 5.7 Review

With Bike DealerCamp coming to my stomping grounds, I was able to ride the Mach 5.7 on familiar trails and terrain. The venue was Deer Valley, UT (a far cry from Bootleg Canyon, NV where the Interbike Outdoor Demo is held), so I was stoked for both lift-served and lung-served singletrack.

As it turned out, the complete build worked extremely-well except for the wheels. Not that the wheels failed or anything, but they weren’t quite as stiff and capable as those I’d expect to come standard on this rig. Crank Brothers Cobalt or similar would be much better-suited to this bike’s capabilities.

I really had a blast on this bike. It felt nimble and fast on the uphill with traction aplenty. Shock setup is aided by a custom sag indicator that’s included with the bike (a nice touch). With that proper setup, both the negative and positive travel of the DW-Link suspension design comes into play — yielding trademark DW smoothness in all terrain (something other suspension designs have trouble matching).

While climbing, the rear wheel seems to extend and compress to match the terrain — no matter how technical. I could push this bike hard and all it would do is keep ascending without complaint whatsoever.

Snaking through fast and flowing singletrack is just what the doctor ordered for the 5.7. It seems to settle into its comfort zone very quickly — encouraging the rider to lean harder into the turn, pedal faster and point it straight through technical sections. Overall handling felt very balanced in all conditions except for a teeny bit of front-end wander on the steepest of climbs — nothing a little Fox TALAS or RockShox U-turn travel adjustments can’t remedy.

Good Mach 5.7

Extremely lightweight — especially for aluminum

Seemingly perfect travel

Ultra-capable climber

So flickable and fun, it’s amazing

DW-Link suspension is hard to beat

The perfect do-it-all machine

Tapered head tube for stiffness

Very balanced singletrack assault bike that just flows from turn-to-turn

Bad mach 5.7

Wanders just a tad on technical climbs

The included DT Swiss XR400 wheelset is light, but isn’t the best match for this bike

Random creaks in here and there — probably due to pre-production tolerances

Bottom Line: 2011 Pivot Mach 5.7

This is a great new bike for Pivot and should prove to be very popular. I have only very briefly ridden the Mach 5 prior to riding the 5.7 but the difference is astounding. The Mach 5.7 feels like a great trailbike while the regular Mach 5 feels like a long-legged XC race bike. That difference is felt on the trail as the 5.7 is as comfortable as they get and performs on par with the best trailbikes on the market. I really had a great time on this bike.

About Author

A Seattle native, Jason developed a love for the outdoors and a thing for mountains. That infatuation continues as he founded this site in 1999 --sharing his love of road biking, mountain biking, trail running and skiing. That passion is channeled into every article or gear review he writes. Utah's Wasatch Mountains are his playground.

Some of this will depend on price (which is still a little ways off on some of these), but I did ride both the Mojo SL and the Mach 5.7 while at DealerCamp (HD 140 was an unrideable photo bike). Both are going to be very similar bikes, but I’m a carbon fan and the Mojo SL wins by a nose in my book.

Both the 5.7 and Mojo SL are extremely-similar in their ride quality and overall performance, but the SL is just that much more carbony, ya know?

The HD 140 will just be like a stout Mojo since it will share the same travel. I liked the regular HD, but the HD 140 should be for those who don’t need that extra travel, but still want all the stiffness to handle rough terrain or larger riders.

All are going to be AWESOME do-it-all bikes, but I still prefer the Mojo SL for my kind of riding, but only by a smidgen.

Jason, with a Talas or U-Turn fork so you could steepen up the head angle and quicken up the handling a little do you think this bike would make a good XC race rig? I am looking for a bike I can race 12/24 hr races, Xterra triathlons, and other XC events on but also train on the rocky trails we have here in AZ. Do you think enough weight could be shaved off this bad boy with a super light build and still keep it trail worthy?

Hammer… Yeah, I think you could build it up that way. The build I rode was pretty lightweight (maybe 25 lbs) and seemed ultra-capable. I don’t know that I’d call it “XC”, but it felt like a good trailbike and the DW performed flawlessly.

WOW!, This bike looks sweet!; i want to buy a new bike, I’m between the Ibis Mojo and the Blur LT2; I may have to add this one to those options. Jason, which would you choose?, you’re the only one I know that has ridden the 3 of them!; I don’t think I’ll get to test-ride any since I live in Mexico and that’s nor very common here. Thanks.

Defuentes… If you are afraid to go carbon or want the most durable do-it-all bike, then the Mach 5.7 should be tops on your list. If you want carbon, then go for the Mojo. I still need to ride the LTc, but the LT is still a distant third between these bikes.

I’m just starting to get more details on this frame as they are being solidified for 2011. The Mach 5.7 will be available as frame only, frame and fork or in a variety of complete builds from both SRAM and Shimano.

A full SRAM X9 build will run $3999, for example.

Additionally, the Mach 5 is now defunct and the 5.7 replaces it for 2011.

I tested a mach 5.7 4 weeks ago during a demo in Utah. I am sort of a beginner in Mountain biking but I must say I was truly amazed by the bike, especially the weight and how responsive it was going up-hill. Unfortunatly, it is completly out of my budget. The one I tested was around $3700. I just ordered a Blur LT. Amazing bike.

Hi Jason – the 5.7 is at the top of my list right now. I am 5′-10.5″ with a 32″ inseam, 165 lbs. Sounds like we are about the same size. Anyways, I see that you are riding the medium, but it looks like you are running a pretty long stem. I will be using a 70mm stem and either 685 or 711mm bars. I will be doing all sorts of riding with this bike – from XC and endurance races (for fun, not competitive), to lifts at Big Bear and Mammoth, to slickrock in Moab. With the shorter stem, would you recommend the medium or large?

You’re gonna love the 5.7, amigo. And, yes… we’re pretty much the same size to a T. The stem aboard the test rig was long-ish. It’s hard to recall if the cockpit would feel cramped using a shorter stem… too many bikes ago.

I will say this… the sizes of the 5.7 are very Specialized-ish with a Medium sporting a 23.2″ and Large sporting a 24.2″ TT. I find I prefer a bike with a 23.5-24″ TT and a 50-80mm stem. Anything longer than 80mm and you have a bad fit, IMO. I don’t like long stems and feel they make the bike’s handling a bit wonky.

I think 685mm bars and a 70-80mm stem on the Medium should be just fine. The bike will be flickable and fun. It’s hard tho… we’re both inbetween sizes. I’d go Medium if it were up to me.

Jason – thanks for the quick reply. One more question – have you had much time on a 5 Spot? That is the only other bike that I am considering. The large has a 23.6″ TT and feels perfect to me with a 70mm stem. I have always been a fan of Turner bikes, but the 5 Spot is $500 more and about 1/2 pound heavier. I have always thought of the 5-Spot as being a better descender than the old Mach 5 and vice versa in regards to climbing, but that might not be the case with the 5.7. Is it possible the the 5.7 is better at both? Whatever thoughts you have on the comparison between these two bikes is appreciated.

Unfortunately, I have had very little saddle time on the 5 Spot and none on the new DW version. The TT and stem length combo seems just about right and I still have a place in my heart for my old Turner RFX. They make sweet, burly bikes.

The 5.7 is really a different beast and much more capable than the Mach 5. I’m having a hard time not ogling over it. Hard to go wrong with it.

Greetings from DownUnder. Jason, I’m curious about your comment that the Blur LT(c) is a distant third to the Mach 5.7 and Mojo. These 3 bikes (plus the Mojo HD140) are my short list. Would greatly appreciate your thoughts on what is it about the Blur that puts it a distant third please. One thing that strikes me is that the Blur’s chain stay length is longer, bottom bracket higher, shorter top tube and slacker head angle which probably makes it a little more gravity oriented and maybe not as good a climber despite short head tube. Wonder also how you rate the VPP action vs DW-Link? Finally, I can’t for the life of me find wheelbase measurements for the Mach5.7 (L & XL) anywhere – certainly not on the Pivot website – any clues please? Love your work. cheers David

Thanks for the comment. I’m really a huge fan of the DW-Link and haven’t been to shy about saying that. While the BLT is an awesome steed, I didn’t find it quite as lively as the DW bikes and thought it wandered a bit much on the climbs. Now, the BLT Carbon is supposed to remedy some of the sluggishness I felt, but I’ve yet to ride one for comparison sake.

Tough call on the Mach 5.7 wheelbase. If it’s not on Pivot’s site then I’m at a loss. I’ll see what I can drum up.

Thanks for your question. Honestly, it’s been quite awhile since I swung a leg over the Mach 5.7 and, I haven’t ridden the Blur LT since 2008. Santa Cruz has basically abandoned 26″ wheels and I’m frankly surprised that the Mach 5.7 remains in the Pivot line as-is. I’m sure there is a replacement soon, or, more likely, the Mach 6 just makes it obsolete.